Who Directed Nomadland And What Other Films Did They Make?

Watching 'Nomadland' hit different for me — the director is Chloé Zhao, and she has a really distinctive touch that threads through her other work. Before 'Nomadland' she made 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' (2015), a quiet, observant debut set around the Pine Ridge Reservation that leans heavily on non-professional actors and long, patient takes. Then she followed up with 'The Rider' (2017), which blurs documentary and fiction by centering on the real-life rodeo rider Brady Jandreau and his recovery; it's raw, intimate, and heartbreakingly humane.

After the indie successes, she stepped into mainstream studio territory with 'Eternals' (2021) for Marvel, which surprised a lot of people because it’s such a tonal shift from her low-key, poetic indies. Across these films she keeps returning to naturalistic performances, wide landscapes, and a compassion for people on the edges, which is why her name keeps coming up in conversations about voice-driven cinema. I honestly love how she can make silence feel like storytelling, and that’s why I keep recommending her films to friends.

Chloé Zhao directed 'Nomadland' and her filmography before and after that is worth digging into. Her first feature was 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' (2015), an understated portrait of life on the Pine Ridge Reservation that already showed her interest in real places and non-actors. Then came 'The Rider' (2017), which famously casts real people playing versions of themselves and explores identity, trauma, and resilience in a rodeo community. 'Nomadland' (2020) continued that line, adapting the book 'Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century' into a lyrical road movie starring Frances McDormand.

She later directed 'Eternals' (2021), which moved her into blockbuster territory and sparked lots of debate among fans — it's visually ambitious and a very different canvas for her sensibilities. If you like naturalism, start with 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' and 'The Rider', then watch 'Nomadland' to see her at her most distilled; 'Eternals' is an interesting detour showing how her voice translates to big-budget spectacle. I find that mix of indie depth and studio scale makes her career particularly exciting.

I get a little nerdy about directors' career arcs, and Chloé Zhao's is one I keep circling back to. She directed 'Nomadland', which earned wide acclaim for its spare, moving look at modern itinerancy — the film came from the reporting in the book 'Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century' and turned that reportage into a cinematic meditation. Prior to that, her debut feature 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' already showcased her interest in marginalized communities and naturalistic casts, and 'The Rider' deepened that approach by blending documentary intimacy with narrative form; it's practically a masterclass in directing non-actors.

Then she made a surprising pivot to the Marvel universe with 'Eternals', a very different challenge that shows she can handle blockbuster scale while retaining a certain visual lyricism. As a viewer who loves both indie voices and mainstream cinema, I find Zhao’s trajectory fascinating: she respects small moments and human texture, yet she’s not afraid to take on big canvases. That ability to shift registers is why I keep an eye on what she does next.

Walking through the quiet stretches of highway and desert in 'Nomadland', I felt like I was traveling with a filmmaker who treats landscapes and people with equal tenderness. Chloé Zhao directed 'Nomadland' — the film that follows a woman living in her van after the economic collapse of a company town, played beautifully by Frances McDormand. Zhao's approach in that movie is signature: a blend of fiction and documentary elements, long naturalistic takes, and a real, lived-in feeling that comes from casting non-actors alongside seasoned performers. That mix gave 'Nomadland' a quiet power that earned it massive recognition, including the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture, making Zhao one of the most talked-about directors of recent years.

Before 'Nomadland', I got hooked on her earlier films because they felt like gentle investigations of marginal lives. Her debut feature, 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' (2015), is set on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and follows a brother and sister trying to navigate adulthood amid economic hardship. It's intimate and patient, and you can see Zhao’s interest in community and place taking root there. Then came 'The Rider' (2017), which blew me away with how it blurred real life and fiction: based on the story of a real rodeo rider who suffered a near-fatal head injury, the film uses his actual voice and the real ranching community to explore identity and healing. 'The Rider' is the movie where Zhao’s observational style and respect for non-actors truly hit maturity.

After 'Nomadland', she stepped into blockbuster territory with 'Eternals' (2021), a Marvel entry that was a big tonal shift but still carried some of her visual lyricism. Outside features, she's known for short films and documentary work early in her career and for a filmmaking ethic that favors collaboration with real communities; that’s part of why her films often feel lived-in and honest. Personally, I love how her movies slow down and invite you to notice details others might rush past — it’s a rare comfort in modern cinema, and it keeps me coming back to her work time and again.

If you want the short version told like I'm telling a friend over coffee: 'Nomadland' was directed by Chloé Zhao. Before that she cut her teeth with 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' (2015), then made the deeply empathetic 'The Rider' (2017) — both films emphasize real locations and non-professional performers. Her work on 'Nomadland' continued that documentary-meets-fiction approach and brought her major awards attention.

After establishing herself with those indie dramas she took on a very different gig with 'Eternals' (2021), delivering a big Marvel spectacle that still carries some of her visual sensitivity. I usually tell folks to watch in chronological order to see how her voice grows; personally, I love the quieter films most, but 'Eternals' is a bold, eye-opening detour that made me respect her range.

If you want the quick director rundown: 'Nomadland' was directed by Chloé Zhao. After that breakthrough she had two earlier features that are essential viewing: 'Songs My Brothers Taught Me' (2015), a low-key, empathetic look at life on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and 'The Rider' (2017), which blends real people’s stories and fiction to create something heartbreakingly honest.

Zhao then made a big leap into the superhero world with 'Eternals' (2021), showing she can move between intimate indie storytelling and large-scale studio filmmaking. Her style often emphasizes natural light, long takes, and the use of non-actors, which gives her films a documentary-like realism even when they’re scripted. If you liked the mood of 'Nomadland', start with 'The Rider' — it’s quietly stunning and explains a lot about why Zhao’s voice in cinema feels so specific and resonant to me.